Improvement in car-brakes



2 Sheets--Sheet 2..

N. KIIHJHBATH.`

Gar-Brakes. x

Patented Feb. 10, 1874.

svn

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

NORBERT KIIOHRATH, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-BRAKES.

Specification forming parl of Letters Patent N0.117,407, dated February10, 1874; applicaticr filed DecemberV 26, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it 'known that I, vNORBERT Kinonnn'rI-I, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inGar-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in theart to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specication, in which draw- 1n g Figure 1represents an inverted plan of this invention, partly in section. Fig. 2is a sectional side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionof the same in the plane .r m,

Fig. l. y

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a car-brake in which the brakeheads slide inguides which are secured to the axle-boxes, so that the brake-shoes willalways preserve a uniform relation toward the wheels. Vith thebrake-heads are combined toggle-levers, which connect with the windlass,so that if the windlass is turned, the togglelevers arc straightenedout, and the brakes are applied with great force. On the spindle of thewindlass is mounted a ily-wheel, so that when to said spindle a rapidrevolving motion is imparted, the momentum of the flywheel serves toapply the brakes. On the spindle of the windlass is cut a screw-thread,the successive coils of which receive the brakechain, while said screwthread causes the spindle to descend as the brake-chain winds on it, andthereby the strain on said chain is constantly in the same direction.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the truck of a railroad car,which runs on four wheels, B B, mounted on axles C il. rlhesc axles havetheir bcarin gs in boxes c d, of the usual construction, and from theseaxle-boxes extend in a horizontal direction guide-boxes b b, whichsupport the brake-heads I) D. rlhe guide-boxes bb are steadied in theirposition by brackets c c, and the brakehcads are provided at their endswith forks d el, containing` anti-friction rollers, (scc Fig. 1,) sothat the same move easily in the guide-boxes, and that they are retainedin the desired position. Said brake-heads are situated between thewheels B B, and they carry the bralie-shoes E D,

and since the guide-boxes of the brake-heads are attached to theaxle-boxes of the wheels. and since said brake-heads, consequently, willpreserve their relative position toward the wheels under allcircumstances, the shoes E E can for this reason be made to embraceonethird or more of the circumference of the wheels, and whenthe sameare' pressed up against the wheels. they will bear on them uniformly atallA points, and thereby their et'- fect is materially increased. If thebrakehea-ds are attached to the truck-frame, the relative positionbetween the brake-shoes and the wheels changes every moment the wheelsrise or fall, and said shoes act on the wheels only at one point,whereby their effect is greatly diminished, and it would be useless toincrease the bearing-surface of said shoes; and, further more, byconnecting the brake-heads to the axle-boxes, the brake-shoes will clearthe wheels it the brake-heads are moved back only a small fraction of aninch, and only a small motion is required to apply or take oft thebrakes.

The mechanism which I employ to apply the brakes consists chiefly oftoggle-levers F F, which are connected in the center under the middle ofthe truck by a pivot, f, while their ends are fastenedV by means ofpivots f/ to arms 71, which extend from the brake-heads, as shown inFigs. l and 3. From the central joint of these togglclevers extends arod, f1', Fig. 3, which connects by 'a chain and rod,j, with thecross-lever G,.F1g. l, and from the end of this lever extend rods andcha-ins L l', each being attached to a windlass, II, on thc oppositeends of the car. One such windlass only is shown in the drawing. Thechain j, which connects the toggle-levers F F with the cross-lever G,passes over a pulley, l, which is sccuredto the truck-frame. lVhen thewindlass is turned, the chain L' winds up thereon, and the strainproduced on the chain j has a tendency to straighten out thetoggle-levers F F. By this action the brake-heads are forced apart, andthe brakes are applied with great force. As soon as the strain on thechainj ceases, the toggle-levers sink down to their original position,Fig. 3, and the brakes are taken oft, being dra-wn back by a spring, fo,which acts on the brakcheads. (Sec Figs. l

and 3.) On the truck-frame are applied scrapers m m', which extend fromshafts n n', a portion of each of which is polygonal, and eX- posed tothe action of a spring, o or o. this arrangement the Scrapers can bereadily thrown in or out of action, as may be required, according to thedirection in which the car moves. rlhe scrapers are attached to springs,which serve to keep them in contact with the wheels when in action. Ifthe shaft n', for instance, is turned, as shown in Fig.3,the spring obears on one of the iiat surfaces of the polygonal part of the shaft a',and the scraper m is raised from the wheel. If the car moves in thedirection of the arrow marked near it in Fig. 8, the scraper n isbrought to bear on its wheel, so that the dirt carried up by said wheelis removed before it can get between the periphery of the wheel and thebrake-shoe, and injury to the working parts is avoided.

- The spindle of the windlassH extends through the platform oi' the car,and on its lower end is mounted a ily-wheel, p, so that when a rapidrevolving motion is imparted to the windlass, the momentum acquired bysaid fly-wheel is sufficient to apply the brakes. B y these means notime is lost in applying the brakes; all theformed a coarsescrew-thread, s, Fig. 3, which screws in a nut, t, secured to the undersurface oi' the platform.

l'f the spindle is turned in the proper direction7 therefore, it movesdownward as the chain 7c winds up in the spiral of the screw-thread, andthe strain on said chain always remains in the same direction, so thatsaid chain is not liable to bind, and the brakes can be applied with theleast possible power.

By means of this brake a car can be stopped very readily, and all theparts are so constructed that they are not liable to get out of order.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The guide-boxes b, mounted in a hori- Zontal position upon theaxle-boxes of a car, and supported by the braces c, to form the bearingsand supports for the brake-heads D, having anti-friction rollers appliedto them, all being constructed and combined substantially as and for theobject specified.

2. rIhe combination of the toggle-levers F with the brake-heads D, whichare supported by guide-boxes b between the wheels of a railroad-car,substantially as set forth.

8. The scrapers m m', mounted on partly polygonal shafts n u', acted onby springs o o', in combination with the wheels of a railroadcar,substantially as described. Y

4. The brake-spindle H, provided with a screw-thread, s, engaging with anut, t, to

move said spindle downward when revolved to set the brake, and combinedwith the chain 7c, to wind in the screw-thread s, and connected with thebrakes, in the manner and for the object set forth.

NORBERT KIR-GHRATH.

lVitnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER.`

